[M] When Darkness Falls - [Karma&Ashen]

[.Karma.]

"I like AC/DC." She smiled to him. "You sounded beautiful. I loved that." Her blush from herself singing was nearly gone now. Some things, such as stage fright and the fear of opening yourself to others never seemed to go away, even when you were hundreds of years old. He did not seem to have those issues though. Confidence was definitely attractive.

"You can totally rock out to Idina Menzel!" She laughed and started headbanging and playing air guitar. "I think I'll try defying gravity!" She sang while pretending to be some sort of rock star. "See? It's totally possible."

"So when you get closer to changing, you start to feel more angry and violent in nature?" She asked curiously. She wanted to know about him. How long before did his moods start changing. Did he still have human thoughts when he was changed? Did he like changing? She didn't want to bombard him suddenly especially since she barely knew him. She needed to take it one question at a time.

[Ashen]

Miles thought he didn't like the compliments Victoria was giving him, but they felt strange. A nice strange. Compliments were too foreign to him, and compliments on his singing voice... Had he ever been complimented on his voice? He brushed her off until she started rocking out. Then Miles chuckled and sang along, "And you can't pull me down!" He held his final note, and only broke it to laugh again. "Wow, I didn't know vampires could play air guitar, too," he told her. "There is much I need to know."

His smile faded with her question. He didn't mind that she was asking, was just unused to it. Miles had only associated with werewolves since his turning, not because he didn't like humans or other races, but because he just didn't find the need to escape from his solitude. Humans were just like werewolves in a man state, and all the people Miles knew didn't like him. He didn't need more hate from more people, so he tended to make as few friends as possible. Telling someone about the basics of werewolfism was something he'd not done. "Well," he said softly, concentrated. "It's different for every werewolf. We all get a little crankier when we're nearer a change, but some of us get crankier than usual. Ducharme, for example, he turns into even more of an asshole, and gets physically abusive, too. But werewolves like... Eliza, she doesn't get that aggressive. I figure it's just like what she'd be like on a period or something."

It took him a moment to realize what he'd said. When he did, he looked up, horrified. "Oh," he said. "That's... that's not something teenage guys are supposed to mention, is it?" He'd been raised away from society for many years, and didn't really know what was considered okay in normal conversation. All he knew had come from a book or from his pack. Because pack was family, there wasn't much off-limits with them, but as for other people, Miles didn't really know what he was allowed to say. His cheeks colored ever so slightly as he scrambled for the right words. "I'm not saying all women get extremely cranky when... That is, err, sometimes... Um. Women don't get all that cranky, of course not, it's just, the stereotype--is that the right word? I... I'm sorry, I'm an idiot, ignore me."

[.Karma.]

"We've had hundreds and thousands of years to hone our air guitar skills. I can shred the air guitar." She laughed and gazed at him. He was definitely not what she had expected when she thought about meeting a Werewolf. Well in her mind there would have been no meeting, just a fight where only one came out alive. Obviously that was not the case tonight, well unless he was leading her into a trap. She really couldn't see him doing that though.

"So Eliza gets moody huh?" She said simply. "Ducharme gets physically abusive to who?" She raised an eyebrow, abuse being something that took her to places she hid in the darkest places in her mind. She didn't dwell on it too much because he had already moved on in the conversation, causing her to laugh, although it wasn't has hearty as before.

"Miles! You don't have to worry about offending me with period talk, I haven't had one in hundreds of years." She giggled. "Plus, all women do get really cranky on their periods." She laughed again. "You'd have to work really hard to offend me." Her mind was still a bit on the fact that Ducharme got physically abusive. "Tell me more about Ducharme?"

[Ashen]

Miles shrugged his shoulders a bit when she told him he'd have to work hard to offend me. He had a feeling that she was wrong, that he could probably offend her if her tried, but he felt no need to. He was at least relieved to know his perceptions weren't all wrong, and that he would be able to talk somewhat freely in front of her. He hesitated when she asked about Ducharme. No one had ever asked about him, either.

"He's a monster of a man," Miles murmured. "I mean, he's a werewolf. So obviously he's a monster. But he's such an asshole. Straight from Dublin, and he loves telling us of the bar fights he had back in Éire. He's kinda like the second-in-command in our pack, self-proclaimed. He likes taking charge, and if Beck didn't have such a cool and level personality, he'd probably be able to overthrow Beck and be the leader of our pack. Luckily, Beck is cool, and he wouldn't let that happen. Well, I guess Duke and Eliza had something go on in the past. I'm not quite sure what; I wasn't a wolf at the time. But Duke is abusive of Eliza. He's been better since I've started fighting him, but he still takes advantage of her. He used to hit her, until I threatened him. The bastard deserved it, too. As for the abuse, he's verbally and physically abusive. I think I get most of it. Ducharme hates me. He likes to tell me my mom wished she would have aborted me. I... I guess it's true, and he knows that gets to me. He's just..."

Miles let out a sigh. He pulled at the collar of his shirt, just low enough so that the vampire in front of him would be able to see a pinkish scar. "This is from when Duke stabbed me in the chest," Miles explained. He let his shirt fall back and traced a bruise on his right arm. "A rather recent one from a fistfight. And under it, you can kinda see the pale scars of where he's thrown shit at me. Vases, lamps, matches, knives... He's nuts. But we don't stop him. He wouldn't kill me. He knows how much I want that."

The boy stayed staring at his scars for a moment before looking up at Victoria. He offered a small smile. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I've probably said too much. Um, in short, Ducharme is just... he's Ducharme. We're all thankful he's one-of-a-kind."

[.Karma.]

With ever scar he pointed out, she reached out and touched it. Her eyes focusing intensely on him and what he was explaining to her. She definitely understood, but she was no longer a teenager anymore and she didn't share things so openly. Plus she ran the risk of him finding out she spoke of him to some were wolf, and she herself would be much worse off.

"Those are awful things to say to someone. Especially someone that is meant to be like family. That's what packs are meant to be like, right?" She asked softly as she listened. "Vampires, we are more solo, you get some nests I guess... but nothing like packs. The nests makes us more mean and violent. It's like we stir up the darkest parts of each other. She shuddered a bit.

With every scar and bruise he pointed out, she reached out and touched it lightly, but her eyes didnt leave his. It was hypocritical but she couldn't help but tell him. "You shouldn't be allowing someone to treat you like that. Anyone deserves much better than that." She gave him a reassuring look, but didn't know what to say to his last sentence.

"That's something you should never want, Miles. Life is beautiful, you don't realize it as much until after you're dead." She gave him half a smile and kind of shrugged.

"Looks like you'd be better off if Ducharme was zero of a kind." Victoria allmost looked as if she was willing to try and make that happen, and she wouldn't deny that wheels were turning in her head.

[Ashen]

Miles shrugged his shoulder at the vampire, not knowing what to say. He stopped and considered his words before replying. "Packs are meant to be family, yes. At least most times. My pack's got about a dozen of us in it, and I'm the only kid. No one likes me because of that. They had to raise me, and they shouldn't have. Kids don't get turned, not like I did." He grew silent and looked off in the distance, then let out a large sigh. "Ducharme reminds me of that as often as he can. He hates that I've been around so long, and that I had to learn not only how to be a werewolf, but also how to be a human. I didn't have the life experience they all did when they turned."

Miles looked back at Victoria. Her cold touch on his scars was odd, but in a comforting way. Why had she touched him? Did she like the feel of scarred skin? Was she trying to show she cared about someone she had met merely an hour ago, if that? He brushed it off and offered her a small smile. "Thanks. I've been trying to get him off my back for a while now. Duke's the kinda guy to do what he wants. I think we'd all be better if he was gone, and he's growing old for a werewolf. But Beck keeps him around. Beck keeps everyone around. He's the... alpha, I guess. He sees something in everyone, and he doesn't let anyone go alone."

Victoria's talking about how valuable life was shocked the young werewolf. His gaze fell to the ground as he thought over her words. "Weird hearing a vampire say that," he mumbled. "Aren't you usually the ones that want to die the most? You're doomed to this damn place forever. At least werewolves, we get a shortened lifespan opposed to the rest of you. They don't see me living past twenty."

[.Karma.]

"So, why are you different? How did you turn as a child?" Her gaze was nearly piercing, but genuinely curious about this young werewolf who seemed so different. It was sad to see one so young already so full of despair. That despair was supposed to come much later. There was a sadness in her eyes. Victoria usually didn't let herself really feel much for others, it came with so many years of watching those you care about die.

When he began to talk about vampires and if they wanted to die. "Well you forget, that we actually are already dead. So, it's not exactly the same. Some want to leave because after awhile it just gets hard and you feel more and more of yourself drift away and you become something entirely different. You're not sure it's even you anyore. Life... Life is much more important. There are so many things you can do and feel." A small laugh escaped her. "This is awful deep for a first conversation though."

This Duke sounded like a real prick. "You say you'd be better if he was gone?" She gave a smirk and a hint at what she meant, but it was meant at least somewhat teasingly. Werewolf bites were toxic to vampires, plus she didn't want to start a war between the two groups. She could die, and possibly many others. Something about the way Miles explained him though. Made her want to try her hand at ripping off his head before he got the chance to bite.

[Ashen]

She asked him about his childhood. Everyone in the pack knew that Miles's childhood was a sensitive subject. He hated talking about it, hated bringing up the days where he felt betrayed the most. His gaze dropped and he stopped. When he looked up, he saw that her sharp green eyes were burning into him. He shook his head. "That's a long story," he said. "Maybe not something that should come up upon first meeting someone else, alright?"

Miles sighed again. He was glad to change the subject to vampires, and listened to the way she spoke. It was enlightening, in a way. A vampire who actually valued her life. Maybe she was a rarity, too. "It is awful deep for a first conversation, but we seem to be touching a lot of bases," he commented. He was smiling again, a slight smirk. "I think that's an interesting way of looking at things. But what happens when you run out of things to do, to feel? I understand that you're already dead, but don't you ever think of the after after death? Don't you ever think you might grow tired of all this? I'm not even legal and I'm already bored with my opportunities. But you, you're at least two hundred and twenty you said. You're still finding stuff to be optimistic about. Now that... That's something else."

Her comment about Ducharme made Miles shift on his feet. "We'd all be better if Ducharme were gone," he repeated. "But we're not going to, like, kill him or anything. He's part of the pack, part of the family. He's got his uses, sometimes. I don't think we should try to rush his death." Though the idea was tempting. Miles fantasized about it often as a child. If Ducharme were gone, he wouldn't have been hurt so badly. But now...? He looked again at Victoria's face, and suddenly he was reminded that she was a vampire, his sworn enemy. He had forgotten the weight of that somewhere in that conversation, but now it was apparent: she was, at her core, an inhuman killer.

Suddenly, Miles could hear someone several feet away. He looked up just as the smell of a wolf hit his nostrils. He wondered if Victoria could smell them too. As a human he couldn't smell who it was before him, but he knew if they stepped much closer they would be able to see him with a vampire, talking, having a good time, not killing her. Panic washed over him for a moment before he composed himself. He turned back to Victoria. "I think that's one of the family members now. I ought to get back to them before they see me with you. Ah, not that it's a bad thing, but they wouldn't understand, you know? I should... I should leave." He was awkward in parting, moving his hands as if he didn't know what to do with them. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but he didn't know what. "This was... really nice, Victoria," he decided on. "You taught me a lot today. I... I hope we can see each other again sometime, huh?" He heard the werewolf walking closer to them. "I mean, if that's not... weird. I'm sorry, I should go."